Show Me Love
by OnTheWildside
Summary: When Victoria chooses to move for work, she finds more than she had bargained for in the town of St. Petersburg, Florida. Justin is everything she ever sought to avoid and yet she is drawn to him. Nothing is how it seems and first loves aren't always so sweet. Rated M for language and eventual smut and domestic violence.
1. Show Me Love

**I've been thinking about tackling a Sunlight Jr. fic since the movie came out. I found the movie itself to be rather dull, an indie melodrama where nothing actually happened. I was, however, enthralled in the total twenty minutes that Justin was in the movie. Honestly, who didn't watch the movie for the soul fact that Norman Reedus was in it?**

**It took me a while to decide exactly what I wanted to do and perfect it. As a result, this fic is very personal for me, from the OC's personality and career to the settings and the time period. **

**As this is the first Sunlight Jr. story that I have ever seen, it's taken a while to get my head straight, as I only had the movie to go by. That has both made this little venture a blessing and a curse. I had to decide what I wanted to do and how I would proceed, but it also left me a lot of room for error. **

**Much love and thanks to PrincessPipi who encouraged this idea when the film came out. Also, a huge thank you to Alva Starr who was my little guinea pig for this chapter to help steer me in the right direction. We chatted a lot back in forth and she really helped fortify all of these ideas. She really is the best.**

**Please, if this is something you are interested in, leave me a review or PM me and let me know. Is this something I should continue? I'd love to hear what you have to say, good or bad.**

* * *

**___November, 1998_**

_Show me love, show me life  
Baby show me what it's all about  
You're the only one that I ever needed  
Show me love and what it's all about, alright_

_Don't waste this love I wanna give to you_  
_Tell me what you got, show me what you can do_  
_Show me love, show me everything_  
_I know you've got potential_  
_So baby let me in and show me love_

"_Show Me Love" by Robyn (1998)_

The drive to Florida had been, easily, eight hours of hell. Parking the car at the apartment complex seemed like heaven after all that time behind the wheel. Staying up all night hadn't exactly been a joyous process, but it was something that Victoria was used to. She had been a nurse for the past three years so her sleeping schedule was flexible at best.

When her job at St. Francis had requested their staff to transfer to a sister hospital because of cut backs, Tori had been one of the first to volunteer for reassignment. She was in need of a change, after all.

She hadn't banked on it being so easy to land a job at St. Anthony's in St. Petersburg Florida. She jumped at the opportunity, looking up information for her housing situation as soon as she got the call.

The first number she found was for Palm's Property. After that, the rest was easy. She did a simple over the phone interview and got an appointment to look at a rental apartment a few miles from her new job.

The phone interview had been with a woman named Noreen who owned the apartment complex as well as several houses in the area. She had asked simple questions like name, birthday, and race before moving on to more basic renter questions.

"_When do you expect to move in?"_

"_As soon as possible." _

"_Why are you moving, dear?"_

"_I got a job in the area." _

"_Really? Where at?" _

"_St. Anthony's. I'm an RN in the emergency department." _

"_So you make good money, huh?" _

_Tori was a bit put off by the question, but replied as a common courtesy, "I'm fiscally comfortable." _

"_Is it just you, then?" _

"_Yes, ma'am." _

"_You'd be okay with a small appartment?"_

"_Sure, I don't need a lot of space. I spend a lot of time at work, anyway." _

"_No pets or anything?" _

"_No." _

"_Do you smoke?" _

_"I'm a nurse." _

"_So, that's a no?"_

"_No, I do not smoke." She reiterated. _

"_Have you ever been convicted of a crime?" _

"_No." _

"_Have you ever been evicted before?" _

"_No." _

"_Have you ever been sued for rent or property damage?" _

"_No, I'm always prompt and current with my bills and a bit OCD about cleanliness." _

"_Sounds great. I will need a copy of your driver's license, social security card, and a reference from your current landlord. Other than that, everything looks to be in order. I can't wait to meet you!" _

"_Yes, ma'am. See you soon." _

Taking a break from life in South Carolina wasn't going to be so bad. Life had been strained since her younger brother, Aaron, had started classes at the University of South Carolina. His major was law and he was interning with their father on the weekends. He was well on his way to being a miniature version of their father and Tori couldn't stand it. The man had left them ten years prior, divorcing their mother and moving to Columbia. He was now one of the most successful criminal defense lawyers in the state, which meant he had little to no time for anything else.

At a young age, Victoria had showed an interest in the medical field, playing doctor with her stuffed animals and playing Operation! with Aaron. From that moment, her father decided she should be a surgeon. He layered on the pressure until she dropped her pre-med courses freshman year and focused on nursing, succumbing to all the pressure of people relying on her for their lives. After she changed majors, her father layered on the guilt.

Their mother, on the other hand had been nothing but supportive. She was a total free spirit, being a chef in southern Charleston. Victoria never understood the relationship between her parents. They were a true testament to the statement 'opposites attract.' They managed to make it 15 years before finally calling it quits.

She sat in the parking lot of Alta Mar Apartments when a red Jeep Grand Cherokee pulled up beside her. A chunky blonde woman stepped out holding a clipboard. She looked at Victoria through the windows of her car and motioned for her to get out. Already, Victoria could tell she was all business. She had on far too much makeup and most of her lipstick was on her teeth, but she barely tried with her clothing, wearing khakis and loafers with a simple, grey button-up that she hadn't bothered to tuck in or even iron.

"You must be Victoria."

"Please, call me Tori." She said, extending her hand. She knew her appearance must be haphazard, after driving all night with no sleep, only stopping at McDonald's for a sausage biscuit and a large coffee before finding the complex. Still, she had at least put forth some effort, tying her hair back and changing out of her sweats before coming.

"Well, Tori. I'm Noreen. We spoke over the phone. It's nice to put a face with the voice." She smiled.

"Yes, ma'am. I brought copies of what you asked for." She added, leaning through the driver's door to get the papers she had placed on the passenger's seat for easy access. She also grabbed her purse. Upon retrieval, she shut the door to her black BMW M3 and handed the papers over.

"Perfect." The tiny woman said. "This isn't all of your stuff, is it honey?" She asked, more out of her own interest then genuine concern. She stared at the few boxes in Victoria's backseat.

"No, ma'am. A moving van should be here in a few hours."

"Alright." She nodded. "Let me show you around."

They went for a walk though the complex. The building was in the shape of a large, square horse shoe, compiling of two stories. In the center of the horse shoe was a large, very empty, in ground pool. Noreen explained that there were twelve apartments, eleven of which were occupied. She took Victoria up to the top floor of the West wing, showing her apartment number seven.

"This will be yours." She explained. "Central heating and air, patio. There are four rooms, five if you count the wash closet. It's small, but it's cozy."

"It's perfect." Tori noted. The apartment may have been small, but the rooms were open. The kitchen and breakfast nook connected to the living room and across from the entry door was a large set of French doors that opened to a small, fenced in verandah.

Noreen walked into the kitchen, running her hand over the convection oven. "All of the appliances are up to date, but I can't replace them anytime soon, so be gentle. If anything happens it'll come out of your rent."

"Okay." Victoria nodded.

"You can take a look around. I'll finish the paper work. First and last months rent is due before I ca give you the keys. Is that okay?"

"You mentioned that." She said, reaching in her purse, handing her an envelope. "Cash only, right?"

The tiny blonde smiled. "Even better. I'll take this today, here on out, you'll have to pay my son in apartment six. He runs the apartment complex. Rent's due on the 15th every month."

Tori nodded. "I can do that."

Noreen pocketed the money and started wrote something on her clip board. Tori took this as an opportunity to check out the rest of the apartment. To her left was a door, leading to the bedroom. It was a decent size. Her queen sized would fit nicely against the left wall, leaving floor room between the end posts and her chest of drawers. Adjacent to the kitchen was the bathroom. It wasn't overtly large, but big enough for a shower/tub, vanity sink, and toilet. The basic necessities.

This would be her new home.

Through the open front door, Victoria heard obnoxiously loud rap music. She recognized the voice as Jay Z. It was followed silence, then by the slam of a car door. "Tori, honey. Come here." Noreen called from the front door. Victoria followed the older woman's voice to the walkway on the top floor of the complex. The woman was gazing down, towards the East wing of the building, straight to the first floor. She followed Noreen's line of sight to see an attractive, dirty blonde boy leaning against the window of apartment six. He had on Oakley sunglasses and was smoking a cigarette. "Come on, sweetheart. I want you to meet my boy, Justin."

From the moment they descended the stairs to when they had made it to the ground floor, Victoria could feel Justin's hot, crystal gaze on her, drinking every bit of her in, even through the polarized lenses of his shades. From her long, pale blonde waves to her long, lean legs and every delicious, womanly curve in between. His eyes locked on her hips, wide set despite her size. Tori was aware she had an hourglass figure, even though she was still thin. Justin watched her, cigarette perched between his thin, wet lips as he waited for his mother to speak.

After the initial shock of him checking her out wore off, she couldn't help find herself smiling at his fashion choices. He wore a loose, white wife beater under a black hooded jacket with black and red board shorts in the middle of November. She knew it was warmer here, Florida barely having any type of winter weather to break the heat and humidity, that wasn't why she was smiling. She was laughing inwardly at the Velcro sandals with tube socks pulled up his calves. The socks, at least, were black to match the rest of his ensemble.

"Justin, dear." Noreen spoke up. "Meet our new tenant, Victoria."

"Tori." The girl corrected. Her large, hazel eyes never left his young face. He was strikingly handsome. She noted his cheekbones, protruding slightly under those red frames and two slight moles, one larger than the other, just beside his left nostril. Even though he was smoking, one of Victoria's turn-offs, she couldn't help but be preoccupied with his lips. His tongue danced along his lower lip just as he blew out curls of smoke.

"Sorry. She'll be staying in room seven. She's about your age, baby. Isn't that nice." Noreen added.

"What's it to me?" The boy finally spoke. His mother shot a wicked glare his way and he rolled his eyes. His voice was liquid honey, raspy and husky utterly sensual. "Welcome to the neighborhood, Vicky."

"It's actually Tori."

"I like Vicky." He shrugged, pulling the butt from his mouth and stamping it out on the heel of his sandal before tossing it in the pot of a plant near his door. With no warning, he pushed himself off the window and stepped inside his apartment, shutting the door in her face.

"You'll have to excuse him. Not exactly a morning person and, from the look of things, he hasn't slept yet." Noreen sighed. "He's a nice boy, really. You kids will have plenty of time to get to know each other now, anyway. You must be exhausted. I'll let you get settled. Again, Victoria, welcome to the building."


	2. Quit Playing Games

**Let me start off with saying, I'm so overwhelmed with the reactions to chapter one! I'm thrilled you all are so optimistic and enthusiastic! **

**I hope we can keep the reviews coming! Not only is it helpful to me, by giving me feedback, but it also motivates me to post more regularly.**

******Also, it was brought to my attention that I neglected to include ages during chapter one and it caused some confusion. I thought I'd let you all know, Tori is 23 and Justin is 21. This is meant to be a prequel for the movie. **

**PrincessPipi: Thank you! You're really too sweet!**

**Guest: Thank you! Here's your continuation.**

* * *

It was certainly unprofessional for the moving company to arrive two hours late and then decide, not half an hour after showing up, that it was appropriate to break for lunch.

Victoria was seething mad as she carried yet another heavy box up the two flights of stairs to her apartment. She placed the box on the kitchen table, one of the few pieces of furniture the movers had managed to get inside before leaving, and contemplated how she should handle the rest of the hour before their return.

She couldn't handle the furniture alone, everything required at least two people to even try getting up those iron stairs. If she continued carrying boxes, she would close off the apartment and there would be no floor room for the furniture later on. Unfortunately, they had packed the truck correctly, meaning she had to maneuver around her bed and couch and end tables to get to all the boxes anyway. She was managing to wear herself thin, running on no sleep already. She used the white scrunchie around her wrist to tie her hair haphazardly atop her head and headed back down stairs.

She got back to the parking lot to find her landlord's son and another man, dressed rather similarly, loose wife beater with a black hooded jacket and board shorts, those same silly Velcro sandals with tube socks pulled up to his knees. The stranger had longer hair, spiked up with frosted tips and his ears were pierced with diamond studs. Tori assumed they were fake because of their size. They stood in front of the moving truck, looking in open end at all of her belongings.

They noticed her arrival, glancing over their shoulders at her. "Don't exactly travel light, huh?" Justin laughed. She assumed he was glaring through those sunglasses again.

"Don't you have something better to do than stand around making smart comments?" She snapped.

The blinged-out stranger laughed at her comment. Justin back-handed his shoulder. "Shut the hell up!" He growled, turning his attention back to Tori. "You want our help, or not?"

"Are you offering?"

"Said it, didn't I?"

"Why? Are your Saturday morning cartoons over? Or maybe you just need someone to buy you booze later?" She smirked.

"We can buy our own booze, thank you." Justin's friend scoffed.

"Your van is blocking my parking lot." Justin said. He grabbed a box labeled "bedroom" and handed it to his friend. "Take this, Jack."

"Yeah, yeah. I got it." 'Jack' muttered, sulking away to the stairs.

"Here, Vicky." He smirked, handing her a similar box.

"Stop calling me that. I hate that." She said, begrudgingly taking the box.

"Good." He laughed, following her with his own box.

"Where does this one go?" Jack asked, turning in the doorway to apartment seven and shifting the box awkwardly.

"Bedroom." She said sardonically.

"Can't you fucking read, dipshit?" Justin asked.

"How about you boys work on the furniture?" She suggested, placing her box along the wall adjoining the bedroom and living room. Jack groaned at that, no doubt wondering how the hell he got himself in this situation. "You offered to help." She shrugged.

"Yeah, we'll do the bed first. Come on, Jack." Justin offered. "Probably be needing it soon, anyway." The way he said it had an underlying sexual innuendo that Victoria quickly noticed. She was glad he was gone, if only for a minute. In his presence, she felt like prey, as though she was being eaten alive in the middle of her own apartment. She wasn't able to shake the feeling even as he walked away.

* * *

Once again, the movers were late coming back from their lunch break. The boys, Justin and Jack, had managed to get the couch and the bed frame up the stairs with minimal injuries and maximum amounts of crude language and loud vocal displays.

Instead of allowing them to keep running up and down the stairs, Victoria had resolved to ask the boys to put the frame together. Then, if and when the movers returned, they could place the box spring and mattress on the frame and the bed would be finished. Justin sent Jack downstairs to get his maintenance tools.

"So, you're a nurse, huh?" Justin asked as he arranged the frame's pieces on the floor.

"You read my file?" Victoria stood in front of the bedroom door, watching him work.

"Browsed it." He shrugged, feigning innocence. "You are living in my building now."

She rolled her eyes at his naïveté. "Yes, I've been an RN for three years now. I'm going to start working in the ER at St. Anthony's starting Monday."

"You work a lot, then?"

"Twelve hour shifts, four or five days every other week."

"So, you aren't working tonight then?"

She couldn't help but laugh at his forwardness. "Sweetheart, I've been awake for almost 48 hours. I have every intention of kicking you out when my mattress makes it through that door and going to sleep."

"Tomorrow, then?"

"I'll finish unpacking boxes."

"Friday. Is that one of those days you're working?"

"I don't remember." She lied, getting annoyed with his perseverance.

"Find out then." He insisted, standing to his full height and stepping into her in one fluid moment. He surrounded her. She had no where to go but backwards, into the door. His chest brushed hers and he placed his hands on either side of her face, pinning her to the door, forcing her to look at him. "I wanna take you out." He mumbled, inching closer and closer to her face.

From this proximity, she could feel his breath on her lips, brushing past the faint moisture that lingered there from her licking that full pout. She could smell him, fresh musk and cigarettes. The smell was intoxicating. She had assumed he would smell cheap, like drugstore cologne. This was much more unnerving.

Something else, perhaps even more disturbing, she noticed was that when Justin sat down to assemble her bed, he had finally taken off his Oakley's. She was able to get a good look at his eyes. Justin's eyes were the clearest crystal she had ever encountered. They scorched her skin with a white hot heat that boiled her to her very soul. She found herself mesmerized and terrified, all at once.

She felt an unfamiliar flutter in her lower stomach and involuntarily her knees went weak. The man in front of her was everything she sought to avoid. Vulgar and foul with no common courtesy or proper upbringing. He was a mother's boy, spoiled to his core. She was overwhelmed, not knowing how to feel in this situation.

Suddenly, another voice broke the silence, clearing their throat in the open front doorway. "Didn't mean to interrupt." It was one of the movers, finally back from lunch.

Justin pushed himself off, turning to face the man in the coveralls at the door as Victoria blushed and looked away, visibly ashamed and relieved all at once. "It's fine, glad to see you're finally back." She bit, sarcastically. "Could you go get the mattress and box spring? I'd like the bed put together next."

"Sure thing, ma'am." He replied, turning and heading back to the truck.

"I think you should go." Tori told Justin, pushing herself off the door and following the mover's path, urging the young man out the door. "Thanks for your help."

"Stuck up, bitch." He muttered, pulling his hoodie closed around his broad shoulders and walking out the door.


	3. Too Close

**Another quick thank you to everyone for being so wonderful, especially those who review as 'guests' that I can't reply to personally. You're all wonderful. **

**Don't forget to let me know what you think!**

* * *

"What do you think of the neighbor girl?" Jack asked at the beginning of a commercial break. Justin's reply was to grunt. He paced back in front of the window, ignoring his best friend. Jack looked up from his massive bowl of cereal, slurring his words with a full mouth. "She's alright I guess. Ain't no prize piece. Kind of got a fucking attitude problem."

"Yeah." Justin groaned, sneaking a peak out from between his blinds.

After the moving truck pulled away late Saturday night, Victoria had made a quick run to town. Upon her return, she carried some plastic bags up the flight of stairs. Since then, she hadn't left the apartment.

It was now Sunday afternoon and Justin was half involved in his television, watching a football game. The other half of his thoughts were invested in Victoria.

Justin had always had a thing for mouthy blondes; he didn't know what it was. Victoria was a hot piece of ass, Jack was right about that. Her hair was the loveliest shade of pale blonde, long and wavy. Something he could really tangle his fingers in. She had large, green and brown doe eyes that he ashamedly thought he could get lost in. They sat beneath thick, dark lashes that fluttered when she got angry. Her lips were lush and pink and a time or two he thought about just stealing a kiss from her. Come to think of it, he wasn't sure why he hadn't. He thought she would probably let him, even if her mouth said no. She smelled like candy and musk. He couldn't get it out of his mind. He wanted to taste her. The way she talked to him, he couldn't get over that. It was that fiery personality that had sealed the deal. Yes, she would definitely be a lot of fun.

"Oh, hey! I forgot to tell you, Chrissy called!" Jack declared, breaking Justin from his trance.

He had been smirking, thinking of all the delicious things he could do to Victoria's slight, womanly frame. She was tall and thin with delicious rounded hips and full tits. That ass, though. Something about it made him just want to reach out and squeeze it. She was consuming his thoughts. She would be the death of him, if he could ever figure out how to talk her out of her pants. "Good. I'll call her back."

"She probably just wants oxy's." Jack shrugged, slinking back on Justin's couch.

"She knows where to get 'em." He muttered, grabbing the phone and hitting redial.

Chrissy answered after three rings. Justin told her to come over; he had what she was looking for. When the subject of payment came up, she explained she just needed a fix, she was strapped for cash. With a deceptive smirk, Justin said they would be able to work something out. Working up Victoria was going to take precious time. After all, a man has needs.

* * *

After the first day at her new job, Victoria questioned why she ever missed work. She had only been off for four days, enough to pack, drive, and move in, but the worker bee gene in her had her bored and restless all of Sunday while she cleaned and organized her new space.

Her first day at St. Anthony's was a day from hell. She had the late shift, going in at 5 so that she could follow the head nurse for the night. They had kept her on easy outs all night to ease her into the swing of things.

The first three hours had been dull, a six year old girl had had an allergic reaction to peanuts, needing a shot of epinephrine and an hour of surveillance. After that, Victoria made rounds, servicing one wing of the emergency waiting rooms.

At eight o'clock, there was a fatal accident on I-275 and St. Anthony's happened to be the closest hospital. The emergency department, only being a level 3 care unit, required all hands to help stabilize the survivors until they could be lifted out to a larger facility. One of the men had had their brachial artery severed in the wreckage. As soon as they rolled him in, the paramedic let off on the pressure he was holding over the severed vessel and blood spurt across Victoria's face and scrubs, dripping onto her Danskos. The man's daughter, who had not been wearing a seat belt, had flown into the windshield and suffered a concussion.

Victoria drove back to the apartment complex as fast as she could once her shift ended at one o'clock. It was dark and there was a slight chill in the air as she pulled into the parking lot and parked her BMW under her apartment. She pulled the keys from the ignition and grabbed her bag, digging to the bottom to find her apartment keys, having not yet put them on her key ring, only to find that they weren't there. She had no doubt that she had left them on the hook in her locker. "Shit." She hissed. Not only was she exhausted and covered in dried bodily fluids from a stranger, to top it all off, it seemed that she would be sleeping in her car tonight, shower less.

The thought crossed her mind that Justin must have a key to her door, but graveling to the young landlord was out of the question. However, so was sleeping in the cramped backseat on her leather interior covered in blood. She took a deep breath and summoned her courage, leaving her car to approach Justin's apartment and stopped, just before knocking. It was near one thirty and she hoped she wasn't waking him. She had a good idea how pleasant Justin must be after being woken up. She decided quickly that she could handle it, having tackled worse that night.

She bit her lower lip, rapping loudly on the door marked six. Almost immediately, she heard a groan, followed by another, distinctly female, sigh. A moment later, she heard Justin's raspy voice as the light turned on. "Who's there?"

"It's Tori."

"Who?"

She groaned, exasperated already with his childish antics. "Vicky. It's Victoria from seven."

"Oh." He replied after a moment's hesitation. She heard the click of the lock and the door opened. The glow of the yellow tinged light in his apartment lit the pavement under her feet and she looked up, meeting Justin's face. He stood there, only in a pair of sweatpants. She realized instantly how painfully attractive he was underneath all of his silly clothes. He was taught, all lean muscles and bulging biceps. His shoulders were broad and masculine, dwindling down to his tiny waist and slim hips. That fluttering warmth swelled her stomach again and she cursed under her breath. Justin smirked, bemused with himself, her reaction to him. "Knew you'd come around, Vicky. See something you like?"

She scoffed, ignoring his advances. She couldn't decide if she was more annoyed with him, or with herself for feeling this way. "I need a favor."

"I'm sure you do, baby." He licked his lips, locking his eyes on her hips again.

"Not that." She spat.

"Rough night?" He noted the blood splatters on her pink scrub top and the droplets on her white clogs.

"To say the least. I'm locked out of my apartment."

"Interesting." He grinned. "So, you need to invite me upstairs to let you in?"

"Yes, that's it."

He leaned against the door frame, crossing his arms over his chest. "What's in it for me?"

"What?"

"You heard me, baby. What's in it for me?"

Victoria stomped her foot angrily. "How about I don't call your mother and tell her you refuse to let me in? I'm sure she could persuade you."

The smile left his lips and he uncrossed his arms, his body becoming stiff. "Let me get my fucking shoes." He turned to find his Velcro sandals, appearing back in the doorway. "Hey, Chrissy?" He shouted.

"Yeah, babe?" A very female voice replied from another room.

"I'll be back in a minute, yeah?"

"Where are you going?" She whined.

"Said I'd be back in a fucking minute, didn't I?" He hollered in reply. He grabbed a large ring of keys off of a side table and walked out the front door to join Tori. He passed her, stopping a few feet when he realized she wasn't following. "You coming?"

"Yeah... who was that in there?"

He had that evil smirk playing on his lips again. "You jealous?"

"Jealous? Of what?" She scoffed. She finally willed her feet to move and half-ran to the stairs.

"Sure sounds like jealousy to me." He snickered as he reached the foot of the stairs. "Wanna take her place?"

"God, you sicken me." She snarled. "Just unlock my door and go back to your girlfriend."

"She's not my girlfriend." He muttered. "Just some girl I call when I have an _itch_." He said over his shoulder as they ascended the stairs.

"That's so much better?"

He reached her door, shuffling though the keys to find the one marked seven. "Sounds like kitty has an itch that needs scratching herself."

"If I needed an _itch _scratched, I would find someone else. _Anyone _else."

"Whatever you say, Vicky." He mumbled, sliding the key easily in the lock. She noticed, as he extended his arm, that he had a small tattoo on his left tricep. A demon. That shouldn't have sent warmth pooling to her groin, but it did.

The strike flicked out of the doorjamb and Justin was able to push the door open. He slid his hand along the right wall, flipping the light switch to illuminate the apartment. "There you go." He muttered. "Anything else you need help with tonight?" He asked, turning into her as she attempted to get through the door.

"No, thank you." She lied through her teeth.

He let himself into the living room, taking a small spin in the center of the room. "Looks nice with all of your stuff in here."

"Thank you, now would you please -"

Instead of heeding her pleas, he ventured forth into her bedroom. "Bed is nicer with the mattress. All made up and shit. You need help breaking it in?" He flopped back on the bed, mussing her comforter.

"Justin, I am very tired. I don't have time for this. Go back to 'Chrissy.' Break in your own bed." She offered.

"Already have. Twice." He smirked, pushing himself up on those muscled arms, the one marked with a demon catching her eye again. "I'll let you get cleaned up. I'll see you around, Vicky." He slid past her, intentionally brushing his bare chest against hers. When he got to her front door, he braced his hand on the crown molding and hung his head. "Oh, and Vicky?"

"Yes?"

His head snapped up at the sound of her voice and his crystal clear eyes locked on her large, round hazel ones. She took a deep breath and held back a gulp at the burning blue gaze that held her in place. "You owe me a favor." He said, then pulled the door closed behind him.


	4. Foolish Games

**My sincerest apologies for my lateness. I had a bit of an existential, quarter-life crisis at the turn of the New Year and then I got sick and… well, enough excuses. I had to coax the Justin muse back, which was a difficult task to say the least. I forced myself through this one and veered from my original plan (as I usually do). Anyway, I hope I'm back and up to no good at a more consistent rate. **

**Thank you all for your love and patience. I'm still a bit overwhelmed with this story, but the reviews and PM's I've been getting more than make up for it!**

* * *

Jack grabbed up the unopened envelopes on Justin's dining room table. He couldn't help but notice they weren't addressed to Justin. "You know, stealing mail is a felony."

"Shut the fuck up and help me get this done!" Justin hissed, defensively. "It's my property, anyway. Doesn't matter whose name is on it."

"I'm trying, but we probably should have started this yesterday if you wanted the house to be presentable for your mom." He looked up from the pile of Victoria's mail to see Justin throwing a plate in the kitchen. "Jesus, man. This Victoria girl's really getting to you, huh?"

"She's not -" He began, slamming hand down on his counter before he clawed at the Formica until his knuckles turned white. "She's avoiding me, Jack."

Jack sighed, placing the pile of mail on the counter beside Justin's hand. "Maybe it's just me, but she seems like one of those nice girls. If you want to get to her, you have to pour on the charm."

"I can't shut off my charm." Justin scoffed in response.

"Yeah, and how far has that gotten you? I'm just saying, blindly coming onto her obviously isn't getting you anywhere. You said she moved her by herself, right? She obviously isn't going home for Thanksgiving. You should invite her over tonight for dinner. Nothing says 'I'm not going use you for sex' like having Thanksgiving dinner with you and your mom." He chuckled.

"She went to work this morning." Justin muttered.

"Well, she has to come back sometime, right? Save her some left overs or some shit. I don't know. I'm trying to help you here, bro."

Suddenly, Justin got a wicked idea. The thought was emanated in his evil grin. "You really want to help me?" He asked. "Stay still."

* * *

"Earth to Tori. Hello?"

"Huh?" Tori shook her head, waking herself from the trance like state that she had been in while filing folders.

"I asked if you had the discharge papers for room 17. I can't find them and they've been waiting." Jessica, a fellow RN, asked.

"They're over here." Tori reached over the stack of manila folders beside her, handing the top one to Jessica. She stopped to shove the rest of them into a filing cabinet and pushed herself off of her knees to stand again on her aching legs.

"Thanks. Did you sleep at all last night?" She asked, looking concerned.

"Barely." Tori replied. It was the truth. Her landlord, Justin, kept having people over at all hours of the night and Tori had always been a light sleeper. Even the two stories and parking lot between her apartment and Justin's couldn't quell that trait. The fact she was already up, restlessly lying in bed and thinking about him, didn't help matters either.

Admittedly, it had been almost a week since their last encounter and she still couldn't get him out of her head. That smug look on his face when he came onto her in her apartment was haunting her despite her best efforts. He was haunting her every waking thought. She took this as a sign that she needed to avoid him like the plague.

She made every effort to leave her apartment only when she needed to. When she did, she ran straight to her car and didn't dawdle. When she returned, she made sure the lot was empty, grabbed her things, and took off for the stairs in a near sprint. She was beginning to think she should begin looking for a new apartment.

"Still not used to big city life?" Jessica smirked.

"I guess that's it. Stress from moving... new job and all."

"I know the best cure for stress." She said, waggling her eyebrows. Tori only laughed in response. "You didn't have anywhere to go for Thanksgiving?"

"No, I traded shifts with Linsey so she could be with her family." Tori shrugged, hoping they could change topics. It had been manageable in the emergency department because of the holiday, but that meant she and the rest of the nurses had little to do but talk.

Her prayers were answered when a few moments later, Hilda, one of the LPN's, came running around the corner. "Tori!"

"Where's the fire?" Jessica laughed.

"There's some guy in trauma asking for you, Tori." The girl explained. "He's already screamed at the girl in triage and isn't taking no for an answer. Can you just come to shut him up?"

"He's asking for me?" Tori scrunched her face in concern.

"Well, I assume he means you." She shrugged. "Can you just hurry? They should be out of x-ray's soon and I promised you would assist them."

"I'm not a trauma doctor." Tori muttered.

She and Jessica followed the LPN down the hall and through a few corridors until they arrived in trauma. Hilda stopped just in front of one of the rooms and moved aside.

"Fucking shit isn't stopping. You're some kind of stupid, aren't you?" A familiar male voice yelled. Tori didn't have to move the curtain to figure out who was behind it.

"Justin." She scoffed as she entered the room. Avoiding Justin, it seemed, was going to be more difficult than she thought.

She noted, upon entering, that he wasn't the patient. He stood just behind his partner in crime, Jack, pacing across the tiled floor. His friend was teary-eyed, holding a blood soaked towel to his right hand.

"It's about fucking time, Vicky!" He snapped.

"Hey!" Jessica said, trying to defend Tori.

"It's alright, Jessica." The blonde excused. "Can you get me the chart?"

Jessica looked stunned for a moment at Tori's request, but acquiesces all the same, grabbing the folder from a box on the wall and handing it over.

"Thanks." She nods at her co-worker, opening the folder and glancing at the information. "What exactly happened?"

"What's it look like, _Vicky_?" He sneered. "Genius here stabbed himself in the hand." Justin announced.

"On purpose?" Tori asked.

"No, I didn't fucking do it on purpose!" Jack finally spoke. "I was trying to help out with dinner and the knife slipped."

"It hasn't stopped bleeding since. Is that normal?" Justin asked, seemingly more tame.

"Can you move it?" Tori asked Jack, ignoring Justin completely.

"Yeah, just hurts." He muttered.

"That's normal. Nothing's broken. Can you get me a pressure cuff?" She asked aloud. Jessica grabbed the device off the wall and handed it over so that Tori could wrap it around the man's lower arm, tightly. She compressed it until it tightened around his arm and then took the towel away. Blood spurted out of the artery between Jack's middle and ring fingers and shot across the floor before the pressure cuff could slow his blood flow.

"Jesus Christ!" Justin hissed.

"You punctured an artery, Jack." She said simply, smirking at Justin's disgusted reaction.

"That's not major, right?" He asked.

"You'll need stitches." She sighed.

"I prepped a laceration tray." Hilda said, pushing in a cart with a metal tray on top of it. "I have to go check on the next room. I'll be right back." Hilda left the room with Jessica close behind. The closed the curtain behind them, leaving Tori all alone.

"You might wanna leave the room if blood gets to you." She told Justin, slipping on a pair of purple latex gloves.

"I'm alright." He insisted, leaning against the shelves behind him in the room. "This doesn't count as my favor, by the way."

"Yeah?" She laughed. "And why not? What makes your legal obligations any less important than mine?"

"This isn't for me. Jack's the one who almost chopped his finger off."

"Hey!" Jack said.

Tori pulled out a stool and sat down to begin the sutures on Jack's right hand. "You know, you may want to see a specialist. There might be nerve damage. I've never seen anything like this. Usually when knives slip, they don't go straight through someone's hand." She mused, eyeing Justin suspiciously. "I'll have to stitch the artery, too."

"Must be my lucky day." Jack muttered, hissing loudly as she made the first stitch. "God damn, you can't warn me first?"

"It wont hurt any less." She hummed.

"You need to work on your bedside manner." He grunted to which Justin chuckled. Tori couldn't help but glare back at her landlord as he crossed his arms and stared down at her as she worked.

Tori was nearly finished, trying her best to hurry and rid herself of this awkward silence, when Justin cleared his throat. "So, about my favor…"

"All done." Tori announced, cleaning up the stitches. She removed her gloves and then removed the cuff from Jack's arm. "That makes nine." She said. "You'll have to have the outer ones removed in a week but the inner ones should dissolve on their own. We'll see what it looks like when you come back."

"Can I get something for the pain?" Jack asked.

"Yeah, I can get the doctor to prescribe some mild pain killers for you." She stood, moving the rolling tray. "I'll be right back." She said.

As soon as she moved, Jessica grabbed her hand. "What was that in there?"

"That would be my landlord's son."

"He's really hot, Tori." She squealed.

"You know, if you're into the bad boy, asshole-type."

"Sounds perfect to me. Hilda and I had to leave the room, there was so much pent up sexual tension."

"Are you kidding me?"

"No, seriously. What's he talking about 'a favor'?"

"It's nothing." Tori blushed.

"Nothing my ass. You should definitely do him a _favor_."

"Jess, I am not –"

"You're the one who was complaining earlier about stress." Jessica shrugged. "If I were you, I'd take him up on the offer." She laughed, turning and leaving her there in the hall to be consumed by her own thoughts.

* * *

By the time Tori returned home late that evening, she was far past exhausted and ready to collapse.

She'll admit that she chickened out after her conversation with Jessica and gave the doctor's prescription, along with the discharge papers, to Hilda to bring to Jack and Justin. She just couldn't deal with her feelings or the things that Jessica had said.

Tori was almost across the parking lot when she heard Justin shout her name. She quickly muddled through her options; make a run for the stairs, or turn to face him. She didn't want to seem anymore childish than she already did, so she chose the latter. He walked up to her, handing her a stack of papers. "I uh –" He began, pausing to bite the skin on his thumb nail as he crossed his arm over his chest. "Mail man put these in the wrong box."

"Thanks." She muttered. She noticed his left arm was tucked behind his back, awkwardly.

They stood in awkward silence for another moment before Justin finally spoke. "I noticed you weren't home for Thanksgiving. I was gonna ask you to have dinner with us, but you never came back." He smirked, triumphantly at her.

"No, something came up." She lied, biting her lower lip and looking down at her shoes. "I had another patient. How's he doing, by the way?"

"How's who doing?"

"I seem to recall giving someone stitches earlier today." She mused, sardonically.

"Oh, he's good." He said, tersely. "Anyway, I saved you a plate." He shifted the arm that he held behind his back to reveal a plate covered in aluminum foil.

"Oh." Was all she could reply. "You didn't have to do that."

"I know, just figured it would be another favor you owe me." He nudged her arm, beckoning her to take the plate. "I plan on cashing in soon."

"How's that?" She said, honestly amused with his cockiness.

"You're going out with me next weekend."

"Really now?"

"Yeah, after you left, your friend came to talk to me. She said you just needed a little coaxing. She also told me that next weekend was your weekend off." He smirked.

"Did she now?" Tori growled. She had a few choice words for Jessica tomorrow during their shift.

"So, what do you say, Vicky? Will you let me take you out?"

The word 'yes' slipped out before she could catch herself.


	5. How's It Gonna Be

**Love you guys dearly. Sorry to leave you hanging! I decided to skip onto the good, super awkward stuff. Consider it an apology of sorts. I forgot how terribly awkward first dates could be. Anyway, without much further ado… **

**Song referenced in the car ride over is **_**Turn It Up / Fire It Up**_** by Busta Rhymes and the lyrics come from **_**Body Bumpin'**_** by Public Announcement.**

* * *

_**December 1998**_

For Victoria, the knock at the door came far too early, even though Justin was technically late. Fifteen minutes late, to be exact. She hated that. She had been pacing back and forth ever since she finished getting ready. She took a deep breath and approached the door, slowly turning the door knob.

Then there stood Justin. He braced one hand on the door jamb, leaning his forehead against his forearm and glared down at her. "Took you long enough, Vicky." He scoffed. "Ready to go?"

She took in his clean cut appearance. He had actually tried to make himself presentable and she couldn't help but feel impressed. He wore a black polo shirt and dark jeans. Instead of those silly sandals, he had on black sneakers. Around his neck was a thick, silver chain.

She suddenly noticed that Justin was still staring at her, waiting for a reply. "Yeah." She muttered quietly, biting her lower lip. She grabbed her purse from the table beside the door and pulled her keys from the front pocket, closing and locking the door behind her.

He waited until the door locked before he rounded the corner and headed down the stairs. She almost had to run to keep up with his long strides, that characteristic gait of his. He stopped beside the passenger's side door of a tiny red sports car, opening it expectantly.

Victoria went to force herself into the car, but Justin braced his arm on the hood of the vehicle, obstructing her path. "You look nice." He whispered, his voice extra sultry in that moment.

Something about the sound of his voice made Victoria stop in her tracks, suddenly rethinking this whole idea. All of the doubts and fears she thought she had quelled as she dressed, the night before when she couldn't sleep, the entire week when she tried and failed to distract herself; they all got the best of her. "I don't think this is a very good idea." She whispered, tucking a stray piece of hair behind her ear.

"It may not be a very good idea." Justin admitted, causing Victoria to stop and look at him. "But that makes it even more exciting." He smirked, deviously. He placed a tentative hand to the small of her back. Despite her better judgment, Tori allowed him to help her into the seat of his car. She couldn't argue with him there.

He shut the door carefully behind her and rounded the vehicle to the driver's side and took a seat beside her, not wasting anytime in showing his key into the ignition and starting the vehicle.

The first few minutes were spent in silence. Victoria looked out the window idly, looking at the scenery Florida had to offer. She usually drove with blinders on, focusing on the destination, so this was a nice treat.

Justin let out a heavy sigh, catching Tori's attention. She turned in time to catch him cutting on the radio. Almost immediately, loud hip hop music started blaring through the sound system of the small car. Justine seemed to know the words because he mouthed along with the song.

The image of Justin dressed like a gangster and rapping caused Tori to laugh to herself, temporarily calming her anxiety. She allowed herself to relax a little until they arrived at a large restaurant and Justin shut off the car.

"Petit Paris." She read the sign aloud.

"You like French food, right?" He asked, his hand anxiously gripping the handle on his door. "We could go somewhere else."

"No, this is actually great." She said, mildly impressed. It had been over a month since she had had real food, let alone real French food.

"Good." He said, pushing his door open. "Wait a minute." He rounded the car quickly and opened her door, holding out one shaky hand to help her out of the vehicle.

"Thanks."

"Ladies first." He muttered, motioning for her to lead the way. With his long legs, he easily caught up and opened the door to the restaurant for her.

Victoria let herself look intently around the extravagant building while Justin told the Maitre d' his reservation information. Justin cleared his throat to get her attention and they were led to a private booth near the back of the restaurant.

Justin waited for Tori to be seated before he slunk down in the booth. His legs were so long, his knobby knees knocked against Tori's under the table. He muttered an apology as the waitress walked up to take their drink order. Before Justin could reply, Tori gave a reply in seamless French and the girl nodded and scurried away. She suddenly felt Justin's heated gaze on her and looked up to apologize.

"You speak French?"

"Uh, yeah. Pretty fluently. My mom is actually head chef at a place very similar to this in Charleston."

"Yeah?" He seemed amused.

"She lived in Annecy when she was a teenager after she backpacked across Europe. She learned a lot about the cuisine when she meant to just study the art. She got hooked, I guess." When she finished speaking, she noticed that his face had grown hard again and his tolerance was waning. "Sorry, I tend to ramble when I'm nervous."

He smirked, clasping his hands together on the table. "It's okay. I'm kind of nervous, too."

"Really?" She scoffed.

"Don't go running around telling everyone, but I'm glad you're here. I didn't think you were ever going to say yes."

"Now see, when you act like this, you really aren't so bad."

The waitress arrived, opening a bottle of Bordeaux after setting down some glasses. "I'd let it breath for a few minutes." She said, pouring the wine into the glasses. "Did you want to order appetizers?"

"No, we'll need a few minutes with the menu, though." Justin said.

"I'll be back, then." The girl smiled, walking away.

When the girl was out of sight, Justin reached for the menu before them on the table and started browsing. "Don't worry about the prices, get whatever you want."

"Oh." She muttered, kind of taken aback by his boldness.

"So, how do you make sense of this shit?"

Tori reached for her own menu and read over it a few seconds before replying, "Get the coq au vin. You'll like it."

"Which one is that on here?"

She reached across the table, tilting his menu so she could point at the dish. "It's basically chicken and vegetables."

"Why can't it just say that, then?"

"It does, if you'd read it." She said, smartly.

"Wise ass." He snickered. "What are you having?"

"I'm leaning towards the wine poached salmon."

He roamed the menu, finding what she had mentioned. "Truffles are like mushrooms, right?"

"Essentially."

"I hate mushrooms." He scoffed, making a pinched face.

"Then don't eat them."

The awkward rivalry between the two continued until the waitress returned and they placed their orders. Then the silence ensued again.

Victoria was grasping at straws, trying to think of something to talk about. During her breaks at work, she and Jessica had talked about appropriate date conversations. She spouted the first thing that came to her head. "So, what's your biggest goal in life right now?"

He looked bemused at first, his body going stiff, but he seemed to be indulging her. "You're looking at it."

"I'm sorry. I don't follow." She replied, completely puzzled.

"You, Vicky. My biggest goal right now is getting you."

She was completely thrown off by his forwardness. Surely he couldn't be serious? "That's not –"

"What about you, Vicky? What's your big life goal?"

"I don't have anymore." She lied. "I wanted to be successful and I am."

"Yeah?" He asked, taking a sip of his wine. He made a disgusted face, but continued to drink it anyway. "You're talking about career goals. What about your love life, Vicky?"

She bit her lower lip, looking down at the table. "Truthfully, I've never really thought about it."

He snorted, clutching his hands together on the table. "We both know that's not true. Every little girl dreams about Prince Charming sweeping her off of her feet."

"Are you saying that's you?" She chortled.

"No." He laughed. "But I'm saying I could be."

* * *

"So, you mean this was already a movie?"

"Yeah, in the 60's. Alfred Hitchcock. It was in black and white."

"Prolly why I've never seen it." He shrugged, leaning back in the cinema's uncomfortable chair.

"Really? You still should have heard of it." She mused. "You're starting to show your age."

"Lets not start that shit again." He grumbled. He really didn't care if she was older, but it seemed to bother her. "You already know what happens then?"

"I won't ruin it for you. Don't worry." She smirked.

He didn't get what she meant, but then again, he wasn't very interested in the movie. Through out their dinner, all he could focus on were her lips. Not the words she was saying, endlessly spouting ideas and thoughts, but on the lips themselves. They seemed fuller and darker than usually. It was partially because she probably put on some of that girly shit before she left the house. Some of it had to do with how she was continually biting her lower lip as she fidgeted nervously. God, how he wanted to kiss her.

He had lied earlier, saying he was nervous. Truth be told, he was anything but. He knew she liked him, knew she was nearly eating out of the palm of his hand.

"Don't be shy to grab onto me if you get scared." He said, coolly.

"I already know what's going to happen. I won't get scared." She retorted.

"Whatever you say, baby." He leaned back, brushing his hand across her neck as he lay his arm behind her. To his surprise, she didn't say anything or pull away; she leaned on his arm.

The lights began to dim and the film began to play, but Justin was focusing hard on steady breathing and planning his next move.

_"Just take it nice and slow. Nice girls don't let you slide into second on a first date." _Jack had said.

Frustration caused Justin to stretch his hand, fidgeting idly as the movie started. He wanted so badly to trail his hand down her chest so he settled for biting his lip until he felt the metallic tang of his own blood seep into his mouth. Victoria shifted beside him and his chest tensed. He realized quickly that she was settling into his chest. Her head rested on the crook of his shoulder and she leaned into him.

They sat like that for some time. Victoria seemed enthralled in the film, but Justin kept casting wayward glances in her direction. On the screen in front of them, thematic music played and something frightening must have happened because suddenly Victoria was climbing in his lap.

It seemed like a good a time as any. Justin's strong hands wrapped themselves in a handful of Tori's blonde curls and he pulled her face up toward his.

"Justin, no." She said, forcefully. She pulled her face away from his hands and righted himself in her seat.

He noticed a slight flush to her cheeks and leaned down to whisper in her ear. "Come on, Vicky. How are you even paying attention to this anymore?"

"Just watch the movie." She urged in hushed tones.

"I'm bored with this movie. How about you entertain me, baby?" He finally let his hands wander down her chest for a mere moment before she slapped his hand.

"Stop."

"Quiet down!" Another movie patron shouted from a few rows back.

"How about you shut the hell up?" Justin growled.

"Justin!" Victoria warned, placing a hand on his firm chest.

"Why don't you come back here and make me?" The man challenged. He stood up and Justin assessed him. He was shorter, more stocky and broad, but he didn't look very strong, just sturdy.

"Maybe I will." Justin challenged, standing himself.

"Justin, don't be stupid."

"Not now." He warned, climbing over her and a few other before he and his opponent made it to the center aisle.

They circled, silently sizing each other up before Justin felt a gentle, cold touch encompass his wrist. "That's enough. Let's go." Tori said, calmly.

"Better listen to your girlfriend, pal." The man said.

"I'll show you." Justin wrenched his hand from Victoria's grip and clocked the man in the jaw before one of the theater ushers arrived and escorted them out.

* * *

"Sorry." Justin muttered after they had driven a few miles in the direction of home. "That you didn't get to see the ending, I mean."

"It's fine. It wasn't a very good remake, anyway." She replied, her voice just above a whisper.

He drummed his thumbs on the steering wheel, biting his lip before he spoke. "I kind of fucked things up, didn't I?"

She scoffed, rolling her eyes before she looked at him. "Yeah, you kind of did." She sighed. "You know, I really liked the guy at the restaurant. I don't know what happened to him."

"He's here." He whispered. She wanted him to be that guy. That sweet, romantic guy. The one he had to force out of himself. He wasn't entirely sure he could make that type of commitment.

His thoughts became too heavy, so he cut the radio back on to drown them out. The song that was playing made him grin wildly and he looked at Victoria, singing along with the hip hop tune.

"_I'm-a grant your wish and let you know what's on my mind  
It's about that time that I hit you for some bump n' grind  
I'm in the mood for you, I wanna feel your groove, girl you  
Can creep a move, then let's go get up on a room  
Makin' me do things that I never did before  
Behind closed doors I wanna make you shout for more  
This freaky thing is on, body bumpin' all night long  
No doubt about it if you want it I can bring it on bumpy"_

She seemed to like this silliness, laughing at the crass lyrics. She didn't seem to be able to put two and two together. Maybe this wasn't so hard after all.


	6. I'll Be

**Apologies for not getting to the nitty gritty at the end of the last chapter, but I hope this more than makes up for it. I felt like the end of the evening deserved to stand alone as opposed to falling to the wayside. **

* * *

Victoria slammed the door behind her, locking it shut with force. Her entire body went rigid when it hit the wall and she allowed herself to breathe, pressing two fingers to her swollen, sore lips. They still tingled with the sensitive nerve endings that Justin had unearthed.

Closing her eyes, she could still feel him, pressing his hips into her and cornering her into the door. His hands pressed firmly on either side of her face. She was completely and hopelessly trapped. What's worse is that she felt electricity surging through her body, from her scalp to the tips of her toes.

All of her preconceived notions about Justin flew out the window after that kiss. He had been the ultimate gentleman tonight, despite a few indiscretions. It was probably enough for her to overlook, after all, no one was perfect.

She ran her fingers through her nicely curled hair and sighed, heavily, pushing herself off of the wall and slipping into her bedroom. She disrobed, getting out of the silly dress and painful shoes, and started a hot bath with plenty of bubbles.

She tried to quiet her mind, focusing on the heat of the water and the ever present smell of lavender and jasmine, but her thoughts kept shifting to Justin. She felt that annoying flutter in her groin as a flush rose to her cheeks that sent a pleasant shock down her thighs.

She was coming to terms with the fact that she had wanted Justin tonight. Not even just for tonight. She had a deep, dark desire to be thoroughly violated by him. The thought sent chills throughout her body as her hands roamed the sudsy, wet peaks of her breasts. She kneaded until the tight, hard buds of her nipples stood on end. One hand tweaked and rolled her nipples favoring, first one, then the other. Her other devilish hand glided down her stomach, stopping at the tuft of well-groomed blonde curls between her legs.

She stopped, suddenly conscious of what she was doing. The hand on her breast ceased movement, but the hand on her hipbone drummed its fingers rhythmically. She thought back to sexual education class when her sixth grade teacher told the room full of giggling adolescents that self-exploration was natural and healthy.

Sure, this wasn't the first time she had touched herself in sexual frustration. She wasn't a prude by any means. She was only human, with human needs. This was, however, the first time she hand touched herself with one particular person in mind. Usually, it was more mechanical, working through the motions to hurry her way to the end result. Sexual gratification had all of a sudden become about more than just the impending orgasm; she was fantasizing.

She thought of Justin and those devious lips, curling into a smirk as he sank down between her legs and she couldn't help but allow her deft fingers to do the work that she been longing for for the past few weeks.

Her teeth dug into her lower lip as a single finger slipped into her slit, finding herself moist and warm and wanton. She glided over her engorged clit and her toes curled involuntarily as she suppressed the urge to moan. She sucked in a hot breath, her thighs tightening and clamping together.

Only mere moments stood between her and a mind crippling orgasm. She wasn't sure if she had the level of self restraint required to keep this delicious torture up much longer. Then she remembered Justin and how he reveled in the idea of watching her squirm.

Suddenly, he's hovering over her, whispering wonderfully horrible things in her ear and the head of his cock is parting her lips, ever so gently, gliding over her clit, teasing her. The hand leaves her breast and roams down her body, parting her folds and joining the other. Slowly, one finger delves inside of herself as the other swirls slowly around the swollen nub at the apex of her thighs.

Somehow, it didn't seem like enough, it didn't help curb her desire. Another finger found it's way inside of her tight, rigid walls and she bucked her hips, fucking her own fingers. Water sloshed onto the linoleum floor of her bathroom as her legs flailed but she couldn't find it in her to care as she felt her orgasm build.

Her fingers moved faster, grinding into the spongey wall of tissue as her other hand picked up it's own pace, making ragged circles and twisted figure eights until her eyes crossed and she emitted a guttural cry.

She found it hard to focus on anything but pleasure for the first few moments after the mind-melting orgasm. Her fingers left her as she focused on catching her breath. Slowly, she thought more clearly and realized what it was she had just done.

She had let Justin in.

* * *

Justin kept himself composed long enough to make it to the flight of stairs before his frustration hit its threshold and he punched the brick wall with a closed fist.

She had wanted him to kiss her. He could see it in her eyes. He played the game, walked her to her door, even though his was closer and in the opposite direction. It seemed like something a nice guy would do.

She stopped, hand on the doorknob with the key in the lock, and turned to face him. She gave him the look. He couldn't refuse the look.

His lips were on hers in no time. Self control was hard, but he kept his mouth closed at first, sensing her hesitation. Then she whimpered into his mouth, a heavy, breathy sigh that urged him on.

He fell into her, bracing his hands on either side of her face, pushing insistently against those soft, plush lips until they fell open. That was the sign. His tongue slipped between them and they danced together for what felt like seconds.

Her hand slipped up and pressed insistently at his shoulder. "Justin." She whispered.

He couldn't help the groan that followed. He pulled away, begrudgingly and hung his head, glancing up at her with heat in his eyes beneath those dark lashes. "You're right." He admitted.

"I had a nice time tonight." She sighed, blushing a bit as she bit that damned lower lip again.

"Yeah?" He asked with a smirk. "Yeah… me too. I'd like to go out again, if that's okay with you."

"Uh… yeah. I'd like that." She said, reaching for the doorknob again. "Goodnight, Justin."

"Night, _Victoria_."

He couldn't make it across the parking lot fast enough, getting back to his apartment and slamming the door behind him.

"Bad night?" Jack asked, sitting on the couch, scarfing down cereal. He was watching cartoons in his boxers.

"You ever go home, Jack?" Justin snapped.

"You know I don't have cable at the house. Mom'd be asleep by now anyway." He shrugged, slurping down the milk from the bowl before he continued. "Date not go so well?"

"Got in a fight at the fucking theatre." He grunted, walking to the kitchen to get a beer from the fridge.

"What's the matter? She not like horror films? Told you you could have seen that Adam Sandler movie, too."

"No, she liked the movie. That wasn't the problem. She flipped out when I tried to make a move on her, some guy complained…"

"You take him out?"

"She stopped us before it got too far."

"Oh." He muttered. "She like the place I picked? You weren't too late for the reservations?"

"No, we weren't late. She liked the place. You know she speaks French?"

"No shit?" He gasped. "So, I did good?"

"Yeah, Jack. You did good. She agreed to go out with me again." Justin said, taking a long swig from his beer and sitting on the other side of the couch.

"Shit, I didn't think she'd fall for it. I guess that means you're gonna have to keep up this sweet guy act."

"Shut up. I can be nice." Justin scoffed.

"Yeah, but it takes too much fucking effort. Sooner or later, you're gonna slip up. What happens then?"

"You saying you don't believe I can pull this off?" Justin growled.

"Not saying all that... Just wondering, you plan on being two different people for the rest of your life?"

"Shit, Jack. I'm not marrying the girl. I'm just having some fun with her."

"You say that shit now, but I've never seen you this determined to get in some broad's pants."

"Yeah... Well, that's all this is. I'll over it once she's under me." Justin admitted, more to himself than to his friend.


	7. Looking Through Your Eyes

**Sorry it's taken so long for me to update! I hope you all enjoy and don't forget to leave a review if you want to see more!**

* * *

"Open the door, babe. I know you're home." Justin hollered, knocking insistently at the door marked 6. "Come on, Vicky. Open up."

Tori groaned, pulling herself from the couch reluctantly and walking ever so slowly to the door. A few weeks time had passed since their first date. They'd even shared a few other casual outings and many more tumultuous kisses. Though, as far as Justin was concerned, things were not progressing quite ass quickly as he would have liked.

It was now Christmas Eve. Victoria had gotten home from a late shift at the hospital around one in the morning and went straight to bed. When she finally woke around nine, she bathed and got right back into her sweats, planting herself firmly on the couch to watch classic Christmas movies. She was not in the mood to be disturbed.

This wasn't her first holiday alone. After the separation, she and Aaron would take turns at their mother and father's homes. Now that they were grown, however, things slowly seemed to be drifting in different directions until this point, where it barely phased them to spend holidays apart.

Aaron and their father were in Columbia working on a very important deposition. Their evening would consist of take out and bourbon. Their mother was at her restaurant, probably prepping for their holiday evening rush. Then there was Tori; hundreds of miles away with no one to celebrate with.

"Coming!" She shouted, hoping it would quiet Justin's incessant pounding.

She opened the door to find him leaning against the frame, his forehead propped up on his forearm. "'Bout time."

"Look, Justin… I'm not in the mood for this right now."

His eyes roamed her body, looking her up and down, taking in her disheveled appearance. He wasn't used to seeing her this way; her hair knotted and tied in a messy bun with a bright red scrunchie, her sweats nearly two sizes too big, and not a stitch of makeup. "You don't look so hot." He smirked.

"You know, you don't have to be so sweet all the time." She muttered.

"Missed you." He shrugged. "You been hiding up here a few days. You avoiding me or something?"

"Not you, no. People in general."

"You don't like holidays?"

"Not particularly, not since the divorce."

He nodded, remembering the night they spoke about their childhoods. He licked his lips, lowering his arm and crossing both limbs over his chest. "You wanna come over, then? I don't wanna leave you alone if you're feeling like this."

"I'm not exactly fit for company." She looked down at her wardrobe.

"Get ready then. I'll wait." He offered, pushing past her, inside of the apartment. He noticed the blankets piled on the couch, the Christmas cookies covering the coffee table, It's a Wonderful Life playing on the television. He didn't see a string of lights, no stockings on the wall, no tree decorated in the corner. You would never be able to tell it was a holiday. "Though, I don't see why it's necessary. Maybe I'll just stay with you here?" He sauntered over to the couch, sitting beside the pile of blankets, grabbing his own butter cookie coated with green sprinkles.

She mulled over the idea in her head. Company wasn't such a bad idea and Justin wasn't bad company himself. "You've already made yourself at home." She laughed, pushing the door shut only to return to her nest in front of the television. "I guess I have to say yes."

"You learn quick, babe" Justin laid his arm flat behind her, pressing against the back of the couch.

"I'm a fast learner." She sneered, balling up a few inches from him, her arms wrapped around her knees. Her eyes were trained forward, watching the familiar scenes play out in black and white on her analog television. She vaguely noticed his hand creep over her shoulder through her peripheral vision. His finger tips settled by the collar of her shirt, gently brushing her pale skin. She shuddered, inching closer to Justin, falling into the space between his shoulder and chest.

"Don't know how you can pay attention to something in black and white like this. There ain't nothing else on?"

"This, sir," She said pointedly, prodding his chest with an extended pointer. "is a Christmas classic. It's a tradition. I find it comforting. Don't you and Noreen do anything like that? Why aren't you with her tonight?"

"Mom and I hang out on Christmas day. When I was little, she usually worked damn near every day of the year, shuffling two jobs, trying to keep us afloat. Christmas was the only day she was guaranteed off." He let out a deep breath, looking away from her for a moment, tightening his fingers on her shoulder. When he looked back at her she felt chills run down her spine. His stare was intent, powerful. "You wanna come with me to mom's tomorrow?"

Tori was stunned into silence. She didn't know what to say. She opened her mouth to refute, to offer an excuse, anything. No words came out.

Justin crept closer, inches from her face, his breath hot against her open lips, chilling the moisture lingering there. "Or maybe we should make our own Christmas traditions." His palm rested against her cheek, turning her into him until their lips collided.

The kiss was a complete head rush, as most things about Justin seemed to be. Victoria's vision clouded, reason and logic became trapped, lost in the fog that was her lust-filled mind. They became an entanglement of limbs, each searching for more contact, more closeness.

Tori straddled his lap now, her arms wrapped around his neck while his hands tangled in her hair and held her lower back, anchoring her. Before long, they were breathless.

Justin lifted her lithe frame, flipping her over onto her back, burrowing her in the covers. His body covered hers, gaining the upper hand. His hand slipped under her loose shirt, pressing against her flat stomach, roaming north until his thumb brushed the bare underside of her breast. He smirked against her lips triumphantly. Tori shut down. "Justin –" She muttered, pushing herself up on her elbows, pushing his hand from beneath her clothing.

"Come on, Vicky." He purred, his voice hazy and thick with desire. "Don't you trust me?" His fingers tugged the hem of her shirt, pleading for reentry.

Tori sat up, pushing Justin back by his shoulders until they were face to face. They both looked rather torn.

Tori was the first to break the silence. "Maybe we should order a pizza." Her voice was rushed, distracting. She climbed off the couch, walking towards the kitchen to open a cupboard. "Or I could make something here. I think I have soup somewhere."

"Vicky." He rasped. When she didn't look up from the cabinet, still rearranging boxes and cans, he tried again. "_Victoria_." She froze at his tone, turning slowly to face him. He got up, his long legs making quick work of the distance between the couch and the kitchen floor. "I can go if you're uncomfortable."

"No." She shook her head. "I'm okay..." She muttered, feeling silly. "I just - maybe we could just not do that right now. I'm not really in the mood."

"Doesn't seem like you'll ever be 'in the mood'." He grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest, looking away from her.

Her eyes grew wide at his sudden coldness. "Maybe you _should_ go back downstairs."

"Fuck." He muttered, unwrapping his arms. He turned into her, trapping her between himself and the counter. "I didn't mean that. I'd like to stay. We don't have to do anything." He gently kissed her cheek, brushing his thumb over the invisible mark. "How about I order that pizza?"

"I don't know..." She mused.

Tori was torn. It felt like the entirety of their relationship was this, this rhythmic dance: two steps forward, one step back. She always felt unsure of exactly what they were doing, always on the tips of her toes. The logical part of her thought it was tumultuous. It would run its course quickly and someone would be left behind, broken. The other, larger part of her didn't care. Justin was sweet and protective but, most of all, exciting. The whirlwind shrouding her better judgment kept her from seeing the bigger picture. She was intoxicated by him.

In that moment, when he hummed "Baby, please." in her ear, nipping her lobe and pulling it gently between his lips, she couldn't help but say "Yes."

* * *

"I got all that stuff you wanted." Jack placed a cardboard box on the floor beside the front door labeled 7. "Shit's heavy."

"That's all of it?" Just asked, giving his friend a questioning look.

"It's all I could find. Kinda short notice." He shrugged.

"Better be good then. None of that cheap crap."

"Best I could do. Do you need help getting it all upstairs?"

"Hell no. You know how early she gets up? If she catches you helping me it ruins the whole fucking illusion!" Justin snatched the box up with some difficulty. Through the strain, he couldn't help but notice the smirk on Jack's face. "Got something to say to me?"

"Nothing. It's nothing. Just... you're trying really hard for just a piece of ass. You sure that's all this is?"

"Go the fuck home, Jack." He growled, using his empty hand to push him backwards by the shoulder.

"Alright, alright." He stumbled backwards, righting himself quickly and speed walking to his car.

Justin shut the door behind him, carrying the jingly cardboard box to the stairs and up to apartment 6. He used his spare key to open the lock and flipped the light switch with one hand to enter the living room.

The lights were all off, the apartment was silent. It must be near 4am. Tori kicked Justin out after _It's a Wonderful Life_ ended but he had not been to sleep yet.

He couldn't stop thinking about how distracted and sad she had seemed all night. He wanted to do something to see her smile. He remembered their conversation about making new traditions, and that's when he got this wonderful idea.

* * *

"What in the world is all of this?" Victoria exclaimed, rousing Justin from his slumber on her couch.

He almost forgot where he was, what he'd done. He sat up half way, looking at his surroundings idly, half asleep. The multi-colored lights on the white artificial 3-ft spruce in the corner jogged his memory.

"Did you do all of this?" Tori asked, walking to the once-empty corner in her apartment to trace her fingers over the metallic pink star topping the tree.

"Thought you could use some Christmas spirit." He muttered, his voice ragged and tired. He ran a hand over his face, scratching his fingers over his the stubble on his cheek.

"You really didn't have to -"

"Wanted to do it." He shrugged, tossing his legs over so he was sitting upright. He watched her gaze at the lights, the sparkling ornaments. Then her eyes locked on the white box with the red bow on top beneath to lower plastic limbs. It was wrapped so perfectly, it had to have been from the store. "Bring it here."

She followed his instructions, picking up the hand-sized box and carrying it with her to join Justin on the couch. "I thought we discussed this. We weren't going to get each other anything."

"I know we discussed it. I just don't listen very well. I saw this and I wanted you to have it."

"I didn't get you anything."

"Just open it, Victoria." He shot her a warning glance.

She smiled to herself, ripping the paper off to reveal a large jewelry box. It was white as well, with the word 'FOSSIL' embedded in gold on the padded lid. She looked up at him, asking for permission. Justin only had to nod before she opened the hinged box to reveal an ultra feminine rose gold watch, encircled with tiny silver gems. "Justin, I –"

"I saw that old watch you wear to work. The blue rubber piece of shit. I thought you deserved something a lot better." He explained, reaching out to snatch the box from her hands. He removed the watch, taking her hand and placing the functional jewelry over her wrist to buckle it in place. "Looks really good." He marveled, kissing her knuckles.

"It's just, it's so much." She said, staring at her wrist in awe.

"You don't like it?"

"No, it's not that. It's beautiful."

"Then it's yours. No arguing. Now get dressed. I wanna take my girlfriend to mom's soon."

"Your girlfriend?" She repeated.

"Yeah. That's what you are, right?" He scoffed.

"We hadn't really discussed it..."

"What's to discuss? I take you out every week. I buy you shit. I want to keep doing it. End of discussion." He snaked his hand over her neck, tangling his thick fingers in the hair at the nape of her neck. "Consider it your Christmas gift to me." He muttered just before his lips brushed her gently.

It didn't seem like a hard decision for her. She nodded quietly, kissing him back.


End file.
